A Crown of Gray

Look at this picture. (show the picture of an elderly person with gray hair.) What do you think of when you see someone with gray hair? Do you think of someone who is old and who has outlived their usefulness? Do you ever make fun of them because their hearing is almost gone and you have to yell to make them hear you? Do you make jokes because their memory isn't as good as it once was? I'm afraid that many of us do these things.

What does the Bible say about our gray-haired friends and how we should treat them? Proverbs 16:30 says that gray hair is a crown that has been gained by living a righteous life. I think that means that when we see someone with gray hair, we should look at them as if they were wearing a crown. The one wearing this gray crown is worthy of our respect and admiration and we should listen to them and learn from them because they have great wisdom which has come from many years of learning from God's Word.

What would you do if a king or queen entered this room? It is expected that if a king or queen enters the room, everyone is to stand out of respect. In Leviticus 19:32 the Bible tells us to rise in the presence of the aged, and to show respect for the elderly.

Today is Grandparent's Day. Let us be sure that today we honor our grandparents and give thanks to God for them. But more important, let us make sure that we treat them with honor and respect every day.

Dear Father, thank you for our grandparents and for all that they have taught us -- especially what they have taught us about you. Amen.